Apple Could Ship 65 Million iPads in 2011

Apple iPad shipments could top out at 65 million in 2011, according to an estimate from DigiTimes, but an analyst is warning of potential dangers for Apple ahead.

Apple iPad panel shipments will top 65 million units in
2011, estimates DigiTimes. However, another analyst suggests that the iPad's
continuing success could start to affect the market for other Apple products,
notably the Mac and iPhone.

DigiTimes' 65-million-units figure comes from the combined
estimates for Apple's iPad parts suppliers, including LG Display, Samsung and
Chimei Innolux (CMI). "Market players noted that the 65 million unit shipment
goal indicates that Apple is very optimistic about the tablet PC market in 2011,
and it may also mean that Apple is overbooking panel capacity," reads a Dec. 29 report
on the publication's Website. The estimate includes both first-generation
and second-generation iPads, the latter of which has yet to make an official
appearance despite increasingly fervent conjecture.

However, at least one analyst feels the iPad's blockbuster
sales have the potential to negatively impact Apple's product line.

"The iPad has successfully integrated the functionality of a
slimmed-down notebook into a media player form factor and has effectively
rendered a significant portion of the Mac (and potentially the iPhone) product
family obsolete," Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Company, wrote
in a Dec. 29 research note. "This presents a serious problem as iPhones and
Macs generated 65 percent of Apple's total revenue in CY09."